Davis Reed Construction Begins Boutique Hotel

SAN DIEGO—Davis Reed Construction of San Diego has begun building Hotel Solamar, a 235,000-sq.-ft. boutique hotel located on the corner of Sixth Avenue and J Street in the downtown Ballpark District. San Diego-based Architects Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker is providing full architectural services for the JMI Realty development.

Project costs for the hotel are expected to exceed $50 million, including $28 million in construction costs. The multi-level hotel is slated for completion in fall 2005, and will be operated by Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group of San Francisco.

Hotel Solamar is expected to act as a gateway between downtown San Diego's historical Gaslamp Quarter and the Ballpark District in the East Village. The building is designed to transition the downtown skyline from the three- and four-story buildings in the Gaslamp Quarter to the seven- to 30-story buildings around Petco Park.

Hotel Solamar will be comprised a four-story podium level reminiscent of historic warehouses that formerly occupied most of the area and a 10-story guest room tower that will frame and showcase the fourth floor's rooftop deck and pool area.

The hotel includes 235 boutique guestrooms, a rooftop bar and grill, 4,200-sq.-ft., ground-floor restaurant, 5,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 2,400 sq. ft. of retail.

Hotel Solamar will provide ground floor activity on all sides of the building, with a main restaurant entry and retail space entrances on J Street, hotel entry and restaurant bar on Sixth Avenue and hotel ballroom functions on Seventh Avenue.

Andrew Rodrigues is serving as the officer-in-charge for Architects Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, with Frank Ternasky as principal-in-charge. Wimmer Yamada & Caughey is the landscape architect. Other project principals include Magnusson Klemencic Associates (structural engineer), RBF Consulting (civil engineer) and TKG Consulting Engineers (mechanical/plumbing/electrical engineer).

Additional design-build consultants include ILA + Zammit (electrical engineer), Van Boerum + Frank Associates (plumbing subcontractor) and A&D Fire Protection.

Valentine Corp. Completes Bike Path

PALO ALTO—San Rafael-based Valentine Corp. has completed a $1 million bike path in Palo Alto.

The path starts near the Palo Alto High School track along Churchill Avenue and follows the railroad alignment from Churchill to the University Avenue Caltrain station.

The path features a new bicycle/pedestrian bridge spanning Embarcadero Road. Access to the path can be found at Embarcadero Road, Encina Avenue and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. It will bring bicyclists and pedestrians to the Homer Avenue undercrossing scheduled for completion in the fall.

The path creates an alternative route for bicyclists and pedestrians from the Southgate neighborhood to the Town and Country Shopping Center, Palo Alto Medical Foundation and the downtown business district.

It forms a segment of a longer bike route that extends the length of Palo Alto on the west side of the railroad tracks from Mountain View to Menlo Park.

The Embarcadero Bike Path is separated from the Caltrain tracks by a 6-ft. iron fence.

At the Stanford Caltrain stop, a special gate has been installed that that will be in used when football games and special events are being held at the university.

The path is expected to be used by school commuters, bicyclists and pedestrians accessing the University Caltrain station and downtown Palo Alto.

Parsons Brinckerhoff Named CM for Tunnels

SACRAMENTO—Parsons Brinckerhoff has been named construction manager by the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District for two interceptor tunnels being built on the Sacramento River.

Construction on the tunnels is expected to begin this summer with completion scheduled for the middle of 2006.

The $44 million tunnels are part of the Lower Northwest Interceptor project, which consists of bored tunnels of approximately 15-ft. excavated diameter and 2,000 ft. in length. The project's location is at the northern Sacramento river crossing, east of the Interstate 80 Bridge at River Mile 62 and the southern Sacramento river, north of the Freeport Bridge at River Mile 47.

The tunnels will accommodate twin, 66-in., force-main center pipes and will be inclined downwards at 6 percent from deep shafts on either side of the river. The force mains connect either side of each river crossing with pipelines constructed under other construction contracts primarily by cut-and-cover methods.

The tunnels will be excavated using earth-pressure balance or slurry-type tunnel boring machines with gasketed, precast concrete segmental linings installed behind the TBMs. The shafts exhumed on either side of each river crossing will launch and receive the TBMs, while the twin steel carrier pipes will be installed inside the excavated tunnels and shafts. The tunnels will be back filled with low-density, cellular concrete.

Parsons Brinckerhoff is responsible for providing construction management services, including contract administration, quality assurance, schedule, cost control, inspection, construction staking and materials testing.

Based on the SRCSD Interceptor Master Plan 2000, SRCSD has begun construction of 120 mi. of new interceptor pipelines. The pipelines will be completed in stages over the next 20 years.

Simac Construction Completes Retail Renovation

SAN DIEGO—Construction is complete for the $2.1 million renovation of Canyon Plaza, a 125,000-sq.-ft. retail center located just east of Interstate 805 in Chula Vista. The center is 97-percent occupied.

Canyon Gateway Plaza LLC is the owner of the shopping center. Gateway Asset Management LLC is the manager of the ownership entity. Russell Stout Associates served as the project architect, with Simac Construction as the general contractor. Environs Landscape Architecture was the landscape architect.

The renovation included new building facades, landscaping and hardscape, signage and a refurbished entry drive. Anchored by Vons, the shopping center has about 35 tenants, including Rite Aid, Washington Mutual, McDonald's and the Automobile Club.

CDM Completes Wastewater Treatment Plant

MERCED—The Sacramento office of CDM has completed construction of an interim improvement project for a wastewater treatment plant owned by the city of Merced.

The project was accepted as substantially complete on May 17, with final completion on June 15.

As part of the $13.8 million upgrade and expansion project, CDM constructed a new aeration basin and blowers, retrofitted two existing aeration basins with a fine-bubble diffusion system and constructed a secondary clarifier.

The construction team also replaced a chlorine gas system with a sodium hypochlorite system, demolished the old chlorine gas equipment and remodeled the building to house the new aeration system equipment.

The team constructed the new aeration basin and put it into service in less than 12 months to help the city comply with regulatory requirements.

The fine-bubble system, along with the new pumps and mixers in the aeration basins, allowed the city to receive a $125,000 credit from the Modesto Irrigation District due to greatly increased energy efficiency. The upgraded plant has a capacity of 10 million gallons per day, and serves a population of approximately 65,000.

CDM performed 84 percent of the construction in-house, including the civil, earthwork, concrete, metal work, carpentry, mechanical and pipe installation and electrical and SCADA work for the existing systems and the upgrades. CDM sequenced construction activities and worked closely with plant staff to enable the existing facilities to operate continuously without any downtime or outages.

"CDM beat several interim construction milestones and brought the overall project in exactly on time," said Dave Tucker, Merced's city engineer. "This was critical in allowing us to maintain efficient, compliant operations and serve our customers."

CDM project manager Dan Olmo said his team received excellent support from the city's operations staff and outstanding cooperation from the project engineer, the Walnut Creek office of Carollo Engineers.

Pollack Hired for Space Standards and Architecture Services

SAN FRANCISCO—Richard Pollack & Associates, a San Francisco-based interior architecture firm, has been retained by Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. to develop a nationwide space standardization program. Pollack & Associates will also perform architectural services under a national contract for a series of project-specific engagements.

The intent of the current standardization effort is to replace and revise existing standards that are out of date and to reflect FFIC's current business decisions and strategy.

Pollack was selected among a group of elite firms for its ability to service FFIC nationally.

FFIC is a property and casualty insurance company providing personal, commercial, marine, excess and surplus lines and agribusiness insurance products.

Fireman's Fund is a member of the Allianz Group, one of the world's largest providers of property and casualty insurance and other financial services.

Restaurant Wraps Up Remodel

ENCINITAS—Construction is complete for the 3,500-sq.-ft., $150,000 remodel of Cilantro's by the Sea, a restaurant and bar in Lumberyard Shopping Center.

Designed by Graham Downes Architecture, a San Diego-based designer of restaurants and night clubs, the restaurant brings a fresh and modern dining/nightlife venue to San Diego's North County coastal area.

Graham Downes Architecture was retained by Cilantro's by the Sea owners John Andre and Wendy and Brad Evarts for the owner-coordinated reconstruction project. The restaurant opened in early spring.

Previously occupied by Jim Kelly's Steak House, the original space was too dark for the coastal concept behind Cilantro's. Graham Downes Architecture incorporated natural elements such as ocean, beach, sky and sun into the design of the space. Bamboo and river stones were used together with sandy hues, soft marine green, and light sea/sky blues. New light fixtures also were installed.

The entry door also was relocated from the side of the building to the center, between the bar and restaurant. The focal point upon entering is the large sculptural copper-clad fireplace with waterfall ring. Around the fireplace is an intimate seating area, which separates the bar from the restaurant. The back bar was completely updated to include backlit panels and a flat screen monitor for a more dramatic, modern focus point. New French doors lead from the bar/lounge area to an oversized outdoor patio.

The Graham Downes project team included Karyn Rovner as interior designer and project manager. The firm is known for its contemporary restaurant and nightlife venues throughout San Diego County. Its recent hospitality projects include Chive, Nine Ten, Excelsior, Pasquale's, Gringo's, Kensington Grill and Thin.

Keeton Completes Office Building

TEMECULA—Keeton Construction has completed construction of a $3.9 million, 28,000-sq.-ft. office building located at 27708 Jefferson Ave.

Smith Consulting Architects provided architectural services.

Jefferson Freeway Investors LLC is owner of the property. Marty Smith, managing member of Diamond Central Investors LLC, was the developer.

Smith Consulting Architects integrated red brick and blue/gray glass facades into its design of the multi-tenant building to reflect the character of the neighborhood.

Other features include metallic architectural features, a curved canopy over the entry that doubles as a mechanical screen and horizontal shade elements over the windows.

The project also included tenant improvements for Temecula Valley Bank, Fidelity National Title, Coldwell Banker Commercial-Almar Group and the Federal Bureau of Reclamation.

Johnson & Jennings Finishes TI Project

SAN DIEGO—Johnson & Jennings General Contracting has completed tenant improvements for the 28,000-sq.-ft. corporate office of Plus Orthopedics, a developer and manufacturer of specialized prosthetics located in Sorrento Mesa.

San Diego-based Johnson & Jennings was retained by The Shidler Group (the building owner and property manager) and Plus Orthopedics, the tenant for the $800,000 project.

Donald Pitman Design was the space planner and interior designer. Kirt Gilliland with Irving Hughes served as tenant construction manager. Helena Mosby with the Shidler Group was the owner representative.

Project work for Johnson & Jennings entailed the build-out of corporate offices, a training center and a warehouse. Stone flooring, lighting, millwork and new carpet were incorporated throughout the office.

Sundt Starts Welding Facility

BARSTOW—Construction has begun on the P-929 Consolidated Welding Facility at the Marine Corps Logistics Base.

The $3.3 million facility will be completed in September 2004.

The San Diego office of Sundt Construction is the design-build contractor for the Department of the Navy, Southwest Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

Vasquez Marshall Architects designed the building.

Rob Bodenhamer is the architect's representative for the project.

The 10,800-sq.-ft., pre-engineered metal building will be used for heavy-vehicle maintenance. It will have 14 roll-up exterior doors and be outfitted with a 30-ton bridge crane, seven welding bays and three welding booths.

Sundt's project team includes Duane Mockus, (project director), Jamie Frye (project manager), Jim Prose (project superintendent), Doug Utash (quality control manager) and Krisann Geilenfeldt (project administrator).

Ware Macomb Awarded, Completes Design on 2 Projects

IRVINE—Ware Malcomb, an Irvine-based architectural and interior design firm, has been awarded the design of the Sherman Business Center in the Valencia Gateway III business park in Valencia.

Valencia Gateway III is being developed by Valencia Sherman LLC and will be built by Tarzana-based T. Viole' Construction Co. Inc.

The project consists of two industrial office/warehouse buildings with 26 suites for sale. The multi-tenant buildings total 62,820 sq. ft.

The first building encompasses 31,808 sq. ft. of ground floor space plus 2,760 sq. ft. of mezzanine. The second building is 25,132 sq. ft. with a 3,120-sq.-ft. mezzanine.

Each suite comprises approximately 350 to 1,300 sq. ft. of office space.

In Sun Valley, Ware Malcomb and Valley Commercial Contractors of Woodland Hills have begun a 30,000-sq.-ft. tenant improvement project for Ace Industrial Supply. The project is located in the Burbank Airport Commerce Center, which was designed by Ware Malcomb and developed by Woodland Hills-based Voit Development Co.

The new space consists of 13,000 sq. ft. of warehouse and 17,000 sq. ft. of office space that includes a reception lobby, restrooms, private offices and separate rooms for conferences, employee breaks and the sales staff.